Posting daily at 1pm central about all kinds of things. One day it's dating, the next it's TV commercials. I hope you're entertained. Professional photos on SmugMug – https://benwilder.smugmug.com
This is how I feel…
I can’t help it. College had a great football season and the NFL did, too… especially if I block out the conspiracy theories that sometimes seem true. The NFL has just 4 teams left at the time of this post. Three more games. Then we remember that we have family and friends who actually want to do other stuff–besides watch football– and there’s a whole world out there to explore. Boring.
-Out of the Wilderness
I have three distinct memories of specific experiences during big snow storms in Nashville. In one, I was downtown and thought it would be fun to spin out as I exited a parking garage. A thousand dollars later, my front axle was back to normal. In another memory, I was driving home after work let out early… but not early enough. It took me over an hour to drive 8 or 9 miles where I decided to park my car in an apartment complex lot and walk another mile to my house. The third memory is when I made the mistake of doing delivery work during the snow. It would be fun, I thought. I’ll be fine, I thought. Well, after one of the deliveries my only choice was to descend down an icy road or drive through the front yards of every house on the street, slowly creeping through the crunchy grass. One of my better decisions even though I was in a situation I should’ve avoided altogether.
From those experiences and many more, I pretty much detest driving in snow, rain, and anything other than sunny, dry conditions. I guess that’s how people go from young, carefree drivers to whatever I am now. 🤪
Nashville has been preparing for a big snow storm this weekend. I don’t envy anyone who has to drive in it but there’s a part of me that misses the solitude and quietness during those snowy days. The roads are mostly empty, even in neighborhoods (or ESPECIALLY in neighborhoods since it takes days to get those roads cleared). Birds chirping and brown leaves rustling on branches above, along with the occasional sound of kids–or adults– sledding down hills. That’s the part I miss. Being cooped up indoors with a fire and a good movie or going into the yard to play with the dogs. So even though those three memories stand out, I had so much fun with my dogs in the snow, speeding down nearby hills on a boogie board, or walking through the neighborhood hearing nothing but the cool air blowing by.
Nashville… be safe this weekend. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do and for goodness sake, don’t do the dumb things I already did.
-Out of the Wilderness
I know what you’re thinking. The new Obama Presidential Center is going to be a hub for rock climbers. Just look at the facade of the building… a rock climbers dream! But black people don’t rock climb soooooo… sorry white climbers. No hand-holds on this mountain. The Presidential Center is designed with a museum devoted to Obama’s presidency, a basketball court, a community garden, and a branch of the Chicago Public Library (more here). It will also have an area for Democrats to pout. Trump, too many people asking if Michelle is a dude, wars, no wars, the Mexico wall, ICE, gender stuff; One side will be soundproof so visitors can yell and scream and blow whistles. The other portion is a quiet space to weep alone.
That was all a joke. If you need to pout, do it in the privacy of your own Twitter account. But for real, it will have areas for young people to learn about careers in things besides sports. In other words, your kid isn’t getting an NIL deal, quit dreaming.
The building looks more like the body of a middle-aged adult, to be honest. So you’d think there would be pickleball courts there, right? Wrong. I don’t see ANY sketches of no pickleball courts at the Obama complex! So basically this is just another place in Chicago you won’t want to visit at night.
-Out of the Wilderness
Dr. Pepper babaaaay, it’s good and nice. A new jingle that will be stuck in my head for the foreseeable future and I’m not mad about it. Check out the ad which first played in the College Football Championship game in January.
The jingle was posted on TikTok in a video by Romeo Bingham. Here’s a little more background from “Good Morning America.”
Honestly, this one is right up there with my favorite jingle from Daisy Cottage Cheese.
-Out of the Wilderness
Far-fetched. As in, the idea TurboTax hasn’t manipulated their views of this commercial on YouTube is far-fetched. At the time of this post, the commercial has over 630,000 views in just one day… and not even a single comment. If that’s not a sign of fishy business, nothing is. Ironic coming from a product/brand that wants us to trust them to do our taxes, don’t you think? It’s a shame because I like the commercial but it’s sort of like that scene in “The Cosby Show” when Vanessa introduces her boyfriend to Mr. Huxtable. She goes about it the wrong way and it’s compared to offering a nice, juicy porterhouse steak on a garbage can lid. Here’s the ad, then scroll down for more info…
The Music. The soundtrack of this dog show is a song called “I Ran (So Far Away)” by The Beaches. Talk about the perfect song title, anyone with a dog can relate. Here’s the full track.
If you thought the song sounds like something more fitting in the 1980s, you have a good ear. It’s a 2026 cover of the original by A Flock Of Seagulls from way back in 1982.
I like the music in the commercial and the visuals, as well. It’s unfortunate, though, that TurboTax thought it would be smart to skirt the rules of YouTube, which officially state:
YouTube doesn’t allow anything that artificially increases the number of views, likes, comments, or other metrics either by using automatic systems or serving up videos to unsuspecting viewers. Also, content that solely exists to incentivize viewers for engagement (views, likes, comments, etc) is prohibited.
The dog is adorable, the ad is good, but I’ll be sticking with H&R Block for my taxes this year.
-Out of the Wilderness
Out of the Wilderness 